s u n l i g h t
by TheAgonyofBlank
Summary: Erika. Gym Leader of Celadon City's gym? Not anymore...
1. The Arctic

. s u n l i g h t .  
  
Disclaimer: I *obviously* don't own Pokemon. Also, the "______ Mistress/Master" part might sound like  
Pokemon MASTER, but I wasn't sure how else to put it.  
  
---  
  
The frozen tundra held no signs of life at this time of the night. Snow gently floated down from the sky,  
landing around and on the woman with dark hair. She was wrapped in a thin but warm green cloak, sitting up  
on a cold, hard boulder and gazing at the stars. She let out a small, sad sigh. She should not be here. She   
should not have agreed to come here in the first place. She felt the hair on the back of her neck rise and  
immediately focused on her surroundings. She was not alone. With one quick move, unsheathed her two  
daggers, its long curved blades glinting in the light of the moon.  
  
"You have some skill with the dagger... Something I would never have expected from a Kanto League Grass  
Mistress - mainly you, Erika. But I don't suppose you want to murder me? I mean, you seemed rather happy   
at my arrival, earlier this evening," a cool, feminine voice said quietly from behind the dark haired lady. "Unless,  
of course, you are schitzophrenic. Which is another thing I wouldn't have expected from you."  
  
"Oh, be quiet, Sabrina," Erika retorted, as she sheathed both daggers and stood up, hopping off the boulder.   
The Psychic Mistress always had a way of popping in on her, and she sometimes was annoyed by it. She ran  
a hand through her hair, her green eyes flashing dangerously as she rested her gaze on Sabrina. She then  
added darkly, "There are many things you don't know about me."  
  
"I am sure," Sabrina replied coolly, brushing off Erika's retort. Then, curiosity getting the better of her,  
Sabrina turned to Erika and asked, "Why didn't you tell anyone that the dagger was your weapon? You told  
us your Pokemon were sufficient to keep you ... alive. Even though we wanted to send some people over to  
help you."  
  
"That was two years ago, Sabrina," Erika replied, sighing exasperatedly. She wondered why Sabrina was so  
curious all of a sudden. She reached a hand to her neck and closed it on a small object. A bottle necklace.  
The cool feeling of the glass calmed her, and the green sand and tiny white and brown shells inside the tiny  
bottle matched her usually green outfit. "Besides, it was none of anyone's business about what weapon I  
had. Or didn't have. And I have to say it's stupid that we continued the gym challenges... So many gym  
leaders were hurt from that."  
  
"So, you're telling me that you survived those two ... terrible years without a weapon?" Sabrina asked, her  
brown eyes now filled with worry. Those past two years were hell for the Kanto League Masters and  
Mistresses. Even she herself had a weapon, which was a wooden rod. Not a staff - a rod. She didn't bother  
to reply to Erika's other comment. They had discussed that before, and Sabrina had agreed. Now Erika was  
telling her about her weapon, which she never spoke of before.  
  
"I never said I was weaponless. I always had these daggers with me. The very same ones. I was trained to  
handle a dagger ever since young," Erika thought about what she said for a moment before correcting herself,  
"Excuse me, I meant I learned to handle a dagger ever since young. So if you watch me, my style may be  
strange compared to ... other dagger experts." She paused for a minute before going on, "Anyway, why did  
you seek me out?"  
  
"Everyone was worried about you," Sabrina replied seriously. "And you should be, too. You don't seem very  
concerned, you know... Even though you are fully aware of the possibilities of your life being taken this  
second."  
  
---  
  
Ash, Misty, and Duplica laid back on the couch, wondering when Sabrina would return with news. Hopefully it  
would be good news, since Sabrina rarely seemed to have ever brought good news. There was an eerie,  
awkward silence that enveloped the room, and Duplica cleared her throat before flicking on the television in  
front of them. Just for noise. Misty raised a slender eyebrow at Duplica, who shrugged her shoulders in reply.  
  
"I hope Erika's all right," Ash commented as he glanced at the window. He put an arm around Misty, who then  
lay her head on his shoulder, sighing in worry. The two of them had been a couple for a long time now. Ash  
was currently eighteen; Misty twenty.  
  
"Well, seeing how she survived *those* two years without a weapon, a few hours out *there* couldn't kill  
her," Duplica pointed out. But then a thought struck her and she spoke again, "I take that back... She had  
her Pokemon back then." She paused slightly to look outside. It was dark - as always during the winter  
months. "I doubt they will be able to protect Erika for very long in this dark without using their special  
attacks. Especially since their special attacks help them a-"  
  
The door slammed open, interrupting Duplica in mid-sentence. There, in the dark black of the night, Ash,  
Misty, and Duplica could see two human figures, but only two green eyes. As the two figures stepped up  
into the light, Ash, Misty and Duplica smiled in relief. Erika and Sabrina were back.  
  
--- 


	2. Dagger Practice

. s u n l i g h t .  
  
You know the disclaimer, so I won't repeat it again.  
This is Chapter Two.  
  
---  
  
Few actually liked the Kanto League Pokemon Master. He was a man who killed an innocent girl for no apparent   
reason. Was it possible to like such a man? Obviously the answer was "Yes"; that it was possible to like such  
a man. But there were few who did. The public was angered when they heard about the girl's death; it was   
rape, followed by murder. The girl had been last seen with the Kanto League Pokemon Master Gary, and so  
Gary had been accused of rape and murder. A few weeks later Gary announced that he was the one who raped  
and killed the girl, but no one did anything to take the title of Pokemon Master from him.  
  
The public turned to tormenting the Gym Leaders instead.  
  
---  
  
A green cloaked figure strode through the forest, constantly stopping to listen for any possibly hostile beings.   
Nowadays it was a necessity to be wary, for nowhere was safe enough for a Kanto League Gym Leader. And  
it was all the Kanto League Pokemon Master's doing.  
  
The cloaked figure abruptly came to a stop by a large boulder. She unsheathed two daggers, twirling them  
around in her hands. She thrust her right hand forward, the sharp blade of the dagger gleaming in the light of  
the moon and stars. Then she withdrew the hand and used her left hand to slash the air in front of her. She  
continued training like this for half an hour more before stopping to rest on the boulder.  
  
Erika always trained in the evening. She never really knew why, but she liked it better than the morning. It  
was just her preference; nothing had happened to make her like training in the evening better. She sighed as  
she hopped up to sit on the boulder like she had done for many nights. As much as she hated the Arctic,  
this spot was the most peaceful spot she had *ever* found. There was barely any noise during the winter,  
so there was nothing to distract her. Unless, of course, Sabrina came again. Erika shook her head. She had  
warned Sabrina not to come unless there was an emergency. So the chances of the Psychic Mistress coming  
were slim. Not much havoc could be wreaked in the Arctic, or so it was commonly thought.  
  
The Grass Mistress let out a sigh, watching as the air she let out clouded into mist, or something similar. She  
let her thoughts drift, and found herself thinking of her gym in Celadon City. Ever since Gary, that idiot of a  
Pokemon Master, killed the girl, matches at the gym hadn't been going well. For the second time in a week  
Erika had been cut by an angry trainer; this time on the arm. Many of the trainers that came to her now  
only came to hurt her, for they were mad at the Kanto League Pokemon Master. So they found it fitting to  
take it out on the all the Kanto League Gym Masters and Mistresses. The League Mistresses and Masters  
held a meeting and they agreed that it was only right to arm themselves in case of a very serious attack.  
Erika said that she would only need her Pokemon's protection. In reality, she kept her daggers with her, but  
she didn't need the League knowing that she was skilled with daggers. It wasn't anyone's business what she  
was skilled with.  
  
Towards the first anniversary of the girl's death, the attacks on the Kanto League Gym Masters and Mistresses  
became much more serious. The cuts inflicted were deeper and drew more blood, and this applied to all of the  
Gym leaders - not only Erika. The Gym leaders started fighting back and slowly the attacks lessened.  
However, on the second anniversary of the girl's death, the Celadon City gym was burned down. The Gym  
leaders called for another meeting and finally decided to shut down the gyms.  
  
But that did not ensure their safety.  
  
They were still very much vulnerable to attacks.  
  
--- 


End file.
